Robo (formerly known as Robo 3D) is a company on the move. Just a few years ago its founders were building printers out of a garage workshop. After a successful Kickstarter in December 2012, the company has steadily grown to over 30 employees. While their R1+PLUS printer is a very capable machine, the new Robo C2 and R2 3D printers expand the capabilities of the Robo 3D printer line. Along with the announcement that the new 3D printers are available for pre-order through a Kickstarter campaign, the company rebranded from Robo 3D to Robo. The sleek new logo is reflected in the modern styling of the Robo C2 and R2.
As I reported last month, Robo was set to release the C2 (formerly R2 Mini) and R2 in October. Both printers are available for pre-order and are already in full-scale production. Estimated delivery for the C2 3D printer is November and the R2 is expected to ship in January 2017. The Robo C2 is a compact 3D printer with a footprint of 13″ x 12.75″ x 18.75″. It weighs just 20.8 lbs. and has a build volume of 5″ x 5″ x 6″, while the Robo R2 is 16.75″ x 16.5″ x 23.75″, 25.5 lbs., with a build volume of 8″ x 8″ x 10″. Both printers feature 20-300 micron layer resolution, print speeds up to 16 mm³/s, travel speeds up to 250 mm/sec, quick change nozzles, filament run-out detection, and auto-leveling and removable print beds.
The Robo C2 has a built in 3.5″ color touchscreen, while the R2 features such pro features as a 5″ color touchscreen, heated bed, on-board camera, nylon unibody XY gantry, can be upgraded to dual extrusion, and has a plexiglass hinged door. The C2 can print in over 20 materials that don’t require a heated bed, while the R2 can print in over 30 material types. A 12-month warranty comes standard with purchase of either 3D printer, as well as 24/7 lifetime support.
The C2 and R2 also have integrated model slicing, Wi-Fi connectivity and work with the Robo app, which is currently in beta for iPhone and iPad (there will be a sign-up form on the Robo website next week), and will soon be available for Android. You can print directly from the app, monitor the progress of the print, manage multiple prints and printers at once, and manually control all printer settings. You can also connect to cloud libraries through the app to access thousands of 3D models, and make in-app purchases (filament, accessories, print kits and more).
“Working non-stop at our San Diego headquarters, we’ve redesigned our printer from the inside out and see it as an incredible opportunity to continue pushing the boundaries in this space, while providing an unforgettable consumer experience,” said Braydon Moreno, co-founder of Robo, “Robo C2 and Robo R2 will continue empowering people to make the imagined real as they bring their ideas to life with our simple-to- use technologies and create anything from prototypes of new products, to household items, to customized and personalized pieces. We know the future of 3D printing is bright and that future’s now with these two new products — coupled with the ride that is the Robolution.”
While the super early bird rewards quickly sold out, there are still significant discounts available to those who wish to pre-order the Robo C2 or Robo R2 through Robo’s Kickstarter campaign. The early bird reward for a Robo C2 and a 300g spool of PLA is $599 (expected retail price is $699), while the early bird reward for a Robo R2 with a 300g spool of PLA is $1,099 (expected retail price is $1,299). Robo’s Kickstarter has already well exceeded their $100K goal ($161,105 as of the time of publication), with 28 days left to go. The Robo C2 and R2 both appear to be well engineered products and have a host of features not found on most 3D printers in this price point. I think they are well worth a look and I can’t wait to get my hands on one.
